Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-11-26
"A GIRL CRUSOE.

q book which promises to be replete with
interest. It Is the production Of Miss
Hannah DurstOn, q young lady who has
spent her entire life among the scenes
which she describes, and who is now act
fvely engaged in the work Of promulgat-
ing the Gospel among the idol worshipers
. and pagans Of the far away isles Of the
ocean. In her island home Miss Durston
II often famaiarly called by her friends
the "Young Crusoe Missionary"
The fair young anthOress was horn in
the Tentsin district, China, In October,
1856. Her father was engaged in Gospel
.lahors there 1t the time. The climate did
not agree with Mrs. Durston, and while
Hannah was yet very young the family
moved to the Sandwich Islands, where
Mr.. Durston, in company with a family
named Johannsen, carried on mission
work. The Durstons eventually, in 1874,
settled In the Island of Vita Ievu. one Of
the Fiji group. 'Cp to this time" said
Miss Durston, 81 had been as happy as
any child possibly could be. was great
fsvOrite with the natives wherever we
went, and learned their language thor
Oughly. Besides. father and mother took
great pains 70 teach me everything. SO my
education was not neglected. 1 was now
V4o C1Ou&h W ICouLc tue NdAut OI ulN
parents labors, and I began to take a
great interest in religious matters. In as
able . manner As I knew how I talked
with the worshipers Of idols and tried to
impress upon them the teachings IF Chris
tiAnity.
'.It was on . Christmas day that re-
member SO well my father telling mother
that he had decided to change his resi-
dence to the Island Of Kandavu. and there
work in harmony with the Wesleyan min
listers, who are numerous on that island.
We made the change ere another month
had gone by. l did not like Kandavu,
although there is q pretty bay and some
inland scenery. We lived in a hut made
Of cane several miles from where the
colony was located. --
1t was very lonesome, and many of
the natives had ugly dispositions. They
professed disgust and contempt openly for
missionaries. Mothers soft and kind
ways seemed to have 10 effect upon them,
and quite frequently they stole thirgs
from us Theft, will say, though, is not
. DnmOn practice among the Fijians.
One day father reprimanded sub chief
called ko- o-ko.for stealing a jacknife, and
in reply the chief threatened 10 wreak
vengeance on u.s. Father had but little
fear Of him doing anything, but two days
afterwards a friendly native came and
told us that ko- No and some OF his friends
would payu rs a visit that night and proba-
bly, murder father and mother and carry
me into captivity, for ko-Ko had an evil
and licensiOus disposition.
"Iathet became alarmed at this. As
the beach was near by, We resolved to take
. few thines and seek safety on the ocean
n otr lafge bark canoe until the next day,
wheh We could reach the colony overland,
- Ko-ko and his men would surely be on
Tie lOok0nt From the door Of our hut to
the sandy beach was only a few steps,
Herr was our canoe, which father used in
visiting adjacent islands. In the bow WAS
ePcapacicus locker, where food and few
Other nscsSsaries could be kept. Toward
suntet we hastenedr To the beach. placed
urIthings in the4ocker SRd father pushed
the canoe Into the wateri 1t would seem
that We were none too lsoon in getting
away, fer the canoe swaS hafdly 100 feet
fro1n the beach When thd treacherous Ko-
Ko ohnd six other natives came bounding
70 khe waters edge, 1randishing their
spehrs - us in threatening fashion. They
bad visited the house a1d found that we
bad gone. Ko-ko, with, an imprecation,
hurled - A-spear at us, bug IL fell short and
dropped into the water. Father breathed
fervent prayer over Onr narrow escape
and hOisted a sail upon fhe slender mast
Under the impetus of lgentle breeze the
canoe soon left4 - shore far behind.
Mother and I wrapped ourselves up in
blankets at father q request, and lay down
In the bottom q The canoe to rest while he
watched 1t was some time before the
tapping Of the water against the sides OF
the canoe lullsd me TO sleep l do not
know how long I slumbered, but was
arouse6 by a sharp cry from father and a
fearful tossing ~ the canoe My mother
was already sitting up The stars which
had Studded the sky when dozed off
were obscured by black masses of clouds,
gusts Of wind were shrieking in dismal
way about US, and the waves were large
and high, at tine rolling into the canoe.
We knew thaAonS of Those terrible storms
which spring up SO suddenly in the
islands WAS about to break upon US.
God help us, murmured my father
and he offered up q prayer for
our deliverance. I shall never forget |
what followed. The black clouds seemed |
70 open and bslch out fire and let loose
batteries Of thunder. The shrieking wind |
had the velocity of gale, and the canoe |
was tDsel Rea chip upon the tops Of |
lngry whDe w$sep th4 cleaned like the |
white fase<pf &vodring monster The
sail was rent asunder and the rain began |
TO pour down in torrents. Neither father
nor mother lost their self possession. |
They commenced to pray again and l |
tqAad in. 1t was all that could be done
w elssped hands anil crotched down to
await the inevitable.
Suddenly, above the roar of the thun-
der, We. could distinguish q continuous
found
"..Tb0se are breakers, andcwe will soon
be among them, whispered father, add